'The Voice' Battle Rounds Pt 4: Christina Makes A Surprising Steal
It's night four of The Voice battle rounds and it was definitely the night for the teens! Each battle brought together some of the most powerful young singers of the year.
Team Blake :: Liz Davis vs. Nicole Johnson
Singing: Miranda Lambert "Baggage Claim"
Warm-up: With a team full of country singers, there was no choice but to get a good hearty country song for two country divas on Blake Shelton's team. Michael Buble's advice? Destroy the opponents. He reminds them they’re fighting for their lives, after all. Hopefully Liz’s nasally voice won’t hinder the smoothness of the song against the more sultry sound of Nicole’s voice.
The Battle: Liz walks out to a loud support system from her mom and brother just seconds before Nicole begins. Nicole’s attitude makes Blake smile instantly while Liz’s country tone fills in the holes in perfect harmony. Of course, Adam flirts with both ladies on stage but it’s hard not to. Both ladies have the sass and attitude to make Mrs. Shelton proud. Blake quickly makes the argument that Miranda would be floored by their performance and after giving the critique that Nicole was a little breathy, having lost her tone and breath through the tune, he made a quick decision.
Winner: Liz Davis
Team Adam :: Alessandra Guerco vs. Kayla Nevarez
Singing: Katy Perry “Wide Awake”
Warm-up: Performing arts student Alessandra takes on young powerhouse Kayla in the second challenge of the night. Adam Levine decides to put the two girls together because of their chemistry and similar styles… which is apparent since both girls look like twins. Their singing styles, though? Not so much. Alessandra struggles early and Mary J. Blige notices right away, telling her to stop thinking so much and loosen up. The problem Mary J. thinks Alessandra could face is Kayla’s ability to take charge of her voice. The second day of practice proves opposite for the two girls, as Kayla has continuous moments of going sharp during her performance.
The Battle: Both 17-year-olds take the stage and instantly their different styles shine. Alessandra has a bit of a lower voice which puts her at a disadvantage but she isn’t taking no for an answer (after all, Juliet Simms from season 2 had a lower voice, too!) With Kayla’s pitchy performance, Alessandra decided this was her time to shine and boy, did she! She even had the crowd on her side. While the performance itself was a bit sleepy (get it? Wide awake, yet sleepy?) the judges seem to be enjoying the gravel of both voices. In fact, Christina even says she loves the hoarseness and it took her a lot of practice to get that sound in her own voice.
Winner: Kayla
STEAL: Christina decides Alessandra’s trained voice needs some room to grow and decides to steal her from Team Adam.
Team Cee Lo :: Emily Earle vs. Mackenzie Bourg
Singing: Owl City f. Carly Rae Jepsen “Good Time”
Warm-up: Okay, how do you not love when a singer meets his idol on the show? We’re talking ‘you’re the reason I began singing’ kind of idol! Instantly, every person in America is rooting for Mackenzie. The peppy duet seems perfect for the two young voices but of course, there are some apparent struggles. Emily’s country background seems a bit weird with th song but it does make it a little less poppy. Mackenzie’s big struggle? What to do with his hands! There are worse things to worry about, I suppose…
The Battle: Mackenzie hits the stage dressed in suspenders and black rimmed glasses, which I don’t believe do anything for his sight and Emily’s simple style is pretty adorable. The whole performance wasn’t as energetic as it should be and even Adam noticed. Both voices are so opposite from one another that it was mildly confusing to the ears. Blake thinks Mackenzie is squeaky and Christina believes he had the most energy. While Adam and Blake think Emily should win this, Christina is team Mackenzie.
Winner: Mackenzie, which may be because his dad is really intimidating in the audience.
-Jodi Phillips, The New 103.7/Charlotte
